McLaren wary of ‘significant threat’ to spoil Melbourne F1 party

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Max Verstappen poses a "significant threat" to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the Australian Grand Prix.

The pair locked out the front row at Albert Park, with both setting times over three-tenths of a second clear of the Dutchman in third.

However, adverse weather is forecast for the grand prix, meaning a first wet race in Melbourne since 2010 could be on the cards.

This, in particular, is a cause for concern for the Woking squad, given Verstappen's undeniable ability in the rain.

Calling the four-time F1 drivers' champion "mega" in such circumstances, Stella conceded poor conditions could play into the hands of Red Bull, despite the existing performance gap in the dry.

"For me, the only thing I can say about Max in wet conditions is that he's mega," Stella told media including RacingNews365.

"He has shown what quality he is able to express when the grip conditions are prohibitive, like in wet [weather], so we know that despite today, [when] we are the good result, in wet conditions, Max can be a significant threat."

Preventing wet weather 'underperformance'

Last season, Verstappen stormed to victory in torrid conditions at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having qualified well down the order.

It was a statement drive from the 27-year-old, putting him on the brink of his fourth title, hammering one nail in the coffin of Norris' distant championship charge.

Further still, and of more consequence to Stella, the Briton and team-mate Piastri struggled in the rain at Interlagos, having dominated the sprint the day prior.

Therefore, heading into the grand prix, avoiding a similar loss of performance in the wet at Albert Park is critical for the 54-year-old.

"To be honest, my focus is to make sure that we offer Lando and Oscar a car that still retains high potential, even when wet," the Italian explained.

"Because when we were in Brazil, we had a couple of things on the car that made it a bit more difficult than ideal to drive, and this ended up, for Oscar and Lando, in causing some little underperformance here and there.

"So we learned something from that experience, and hopefully for tomorrow we will capitalise."